Pumps are used to displace materials which flow having a consistency ranging from that of water to thick slurries such as containing sand or comprised of a liquid cement. These latter types of pumps typically employ a plunger disposed in a cylinder, where the plunger is displaced in a reciprocating manner and the cylinder receives the slurry during the plunger instroke and discharges the slurry during plunger outstroke. This results in an irregular, discontinuous pumping action of the slurry which is displaced only during the outstroke of the plunger. Another concern in these types of pumps is in the cleaning of the slurry from the pump following use. Cleaning of the pump is generally necessary because the slurry is typically comprised of a material which "sets" clogging the pump and rendering it inoperative if a slurry residue remains after use of the pump. Prior approaches require the use of tools for the removal of various components of the pump prior to cleaning which is tedious and time consuming, particularly when done at a job site, or "in the field." Moreover, cleaning and clearing the pump after a slurry residue has been allowed to "set" substantially increases the difficulty of the task.
The present invention addresses the aforementioned problems encountered in the prior art by providing a dual inline double acting plunger arrangement for the pumping of slurries having a wide range of consistencies which is easily cleaned and maintained following use.